Shangri La
by Evil's Sidekick
Summary: How is it that one vampire is to be loved above all the rest? DON'T JUDGE ME. Eventual slash, Edward/Jake. For Ryan.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Not mine. None of it.**

**IMPORTANT: No imprinting exists, because it's crap.**

"He's late."

Edward barely turned his head at Emily's comment. He already knew what a blur of confusion her thoughts were- fear, anxiety, indecision, and more fear. The past months in his near-constant presence had taken its toll on her nerves. In some corner of his mind, he regretted putting her through all this.

Right now, her anxiety was irritating.

"He'll be here." She repeated for the twenty-seventh time that week. Her tone implied that she was assuring herself more than him. "He will."

Edward had his doubts. He clinically pondered on the possibility of Jacob's failure to arrive, which was more than likely, given the circumstances. There was absolutely no reason for Jacob to even try. According to Emily, no one in La Push-what was left of it- had seen Jacob any more than they had seen him through the past few years. He had disappeared, along with Renesmee, during the war and had never been heard of again.

Until Edward called his old number, which he picked up on the third ring.

"Maybe he got delayed." Emily continued, and Edward finally stopped focusing on her and let his thoughts wander.

The Volturi had been ruthless in their attack- assembling a low-key army of the most ruthless vampires. Their claim that Renesmee was an immortal child had been nothing but a guise to overthrow Dr. Carlisle Cullen's increasingly popular way of life. They had slaughtered everyone who had even the most minor connection to the doctor- including his beloved family, his allies in the Denali, Egyptian and Amazon covens, and the entire wolf pack. Sheer, blind luck had saved Edward because he had instinctively caught a flicker of an immortal mind and ducked, seconds before Alec had trained the full force of his powers on Edward. Emmett had made quick work of the inhumanly beautiful male twin, only to be massacred by a livid Jane.

Both sides suffered heavily, but the expertise and experience of the Volterra had paid off in the end, when Felix and Demetri combined efforts to shred Rosalie, the last remaining fighter, to pieces.

Before they left, Aro and Caius had turned to him.

"Take me, too." he spat.

The ancient duo had smiled. "I think not." Aro had said. "We have plans for you, beautiful one."

Edward had gone to a killing rage, piling destruction upon destruction on the Volturi guard. Still, they had not responded. Exhausted to the very core, Edward had taken up wandering in a dreamlike state for years, until one day, a clear thought formed in his head, piercingly clear in the fog of memories of laughter and joy: _he must see his daughter_.

Accordingly, he had returned to the reservation to be welcomed by Emily Young and a handful of others. They were all still too shaken by grief to blame him for the deaths of their loved ones. Even Billy Black only looked away when he entered a room.

By unknown means, Bella had given Jacob and Renesmee a way to escape, insisting that Jacob leave the pack and protect their daughter. Jacob had reluctantly left, choosing his goddaughter over his pack. He was currently on top of the list of the enemies of the Volturi, which meant that his every move was followed, with a deathtrap at every corner.

Edward closed his eyes and tried not to focus on the blunt edge of pain, slicing away at his heart. More than the loss of a soul mate, he mourned the loss of a family that he had held close to his heart for over a century.

Distantly, he heard the roar of an engine. A flash of thoughts, on a wavelength he hadn't heard in a long time. Wild, uncontrollable, free.

He opened his eyes in shock just as Emily reappeared at his side. She sighed in relief. "He's here."

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

So it was that Jacob Black watched Edward Cullen through neutral eyes over a beaten-up Toyota Corolla.

"Ready for this, then?"

Edward said nothing, his eyes raking over his former rival. He had expected the same aloofness he felt around everyone else at the sight of Jacob.

On the contrary, he was stunned by the intensity with which he responded to Jacob. The pain of years dissolved to give way to the old dislike and borderline hatred he had always felt for the man before him.

He was just as Edward remembered. His dark hair was longer, brushing his shoulders. Taller than he remembered- his height was still ludicrous. He seemed leaner, and the years of hiding showed on his face. He looked older.

He was wearing a black leather jacket and a dark blue T-shirt underneath, and denim jeans. His hands- encased in fingerless black leather gloves- were clasped over the roof of the car.

"When will you get there?" Emily asked. Her thoughts told Edward that the silence bothered her.

"Around a week."

Edward looked sharply at him. He shrugged.

"Drive straight through, maybe it'll take two days, tops. Sadly, we'll have to take the roundabout route. No flights, either."

"Oh, Jake." Emily sounded sad. "They still after you?"

"Hard as ever." Jacob grimaced. He looked directly at Edward. "This'll be all rough going, all the way. Sure you can handle that?"

Edward shouldn't have been rattled. But he was. The boy really had a way of rubbing him the wrong way. "Of course I can."

Jacob crossed his arms. He looked like a sharp retort was hovering at the edge of his tongue, but he held it back. "Just a heads up."

Edward immediately felt chastised. He just had been taken by surprise by Jacob's obvious control over himself, the fact that he had turned up at all, and his apparent acceptance of the turn for the worse his life had taken. _Jacob_ took him by surprise.

He nodded jerkily, and Jacob nodded back. Jake checked his watch, and looked at Emily.

"Best be going." He said, briskly. "They expect us to rest at night. I like to surprise them."

Rest. Edward had forgotten. Jacob was still mostly human.

The shifter leaned down to hug Emily. "You take care of yourself now."

His words were soft, but Edward's enhanced hearing picked it up anyway.

Emily's fingers were curled. "You, too."

They held each other for a few silent moments, and Edward turned away, feeling intrusive.

There was a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned back to face Emily's gentle brown eyes.

"Be happy." She said, wrapping her arms around him. Edward relaxed into the unexpected embrace. "I know you still can."

He smoothed her hair gently. "It's what you deserve."

She drew back, her expression earnest. "You do, too. Never forget that."

He slipped his fingers away from her warm ones. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

He began walking towards the car. Jake lifted his eyebrows.

"Don't you want to see your father?"

Jake looked astonished he'd asked, then looked away. He yanked the door open with a resounding creak. "Nah. Let's get this show on the road."

Edward lifted his eyes for one last time to the place where he had found a fleeting happiness. His gaze traced the familiar shapes, a silent farewell to a place he'd known.

Then he followed Jake into the car.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

**A/N: ****Reviews mean I'll continue.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: On with stupid plot bunny.**

**Chapter two**

The sky was getting steadily darker as they covered ground, Jacob paying no heed to speed limits. Inside the car, all was silence.

Edward had already gathered that their destination was somewhere in Louisiana- where, precisely, he didn't know. Jacob's thoughts were well-guarded with the practiced ease of someone with years of experience, and Edward wondered why. As far as he knew, Edward himself was the only one who could read minds, and he certainly hadn't been anywhere near Jacob's in a long time.

The buildings, homes and trees passed in a blur that Edward didn't bother to distinguish separately. His mind retreated to the semblance of sleep he had perfected in his exile.

Then, breaking the stillness, the shifter spoke up. "Can get a bit bumpy ahead. Hold on tight."

Edward accordingly straightened, scanning the area for hints of another supernatural mind. He detected nothing, so he turned to Jake curiously.

Just then, there was a resounding BANG and the Corolla began spiraling sideways.

"Shit." Jake let forth a stream of expletives, struggling to get the car under control. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel even as the car slowed. "The bastards saw us."

He took a sharp left that made Edward's head spin, and suddenly, they were crashing through foliage.

"The fuck?" He cried as Jacob speeded up, giant oaks passing like blurs.

"Are they still behind us?" Jake barked, paying no attention.

Edward looked over his shoulder, but saw nothing. He tried telepathy again.

"Left." He said. "Now, now!"

Jacob didn't ask any questions, something he would be eternally grateful for. He took another hair-raising turn, just as a Hummer appeared out of nowhere, crashing through the trees, heading straight through the path they had just swerved away from. It continued onward, unable to maneuver the same spin as their car.

Jake speeded through, and before Edward knew it, they were on the main road again. After a couple of miles, Jake slowed to near-human speeds gain.

"Okay." Edward breathed deeply, feeling a massive supernatural headache coming on. "Why were _humans_ chasing us?"

Jake didn't take his eyes off the road. "'Cause they want to off us."

"Yes, but humans?"

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

Jacob turned his head this time, and leveled Cullen with a speculative look. Apparently, the vampire had been protected from the uglier turns the Volturi consciences had taken.

"Big, bad vampire-powered humans." He corrected. "Your lovey-dovey leaders employ humans, too."

Cullen was silent. "They're not my leaders." He said, at length, in a tight voice.

Jake raised his eyebrows and reserved comment. He glanced at the rear-view mirror out of habit, and saw that the road behind was as deserted as the one in front. Not too strange, for this time of the night. Or morning. Whatever. It was past two am, anyway, and the Volturi never attacked at this time. Whatever creepy vamp idiosyncrasy that was responsible for that piece of luck, Jake didn't know, but he was thankful.

After a while, he got tired of the silence and turned the radio on. The thing had crap reception, but he kept it on anyway. The car was crackling with tension, and that was the last thing he needed. He just wanted to get back home, and try and put all this past him.

Jake wondered, vaguely, what he would do once the Cullens had their happy reunion. Stay? Or run some more?

Cullen made a sound, and Jake looked at him sharply. He showed no signs of knowing what Jake was thinking. He merely was annoyed with the radio.

Jake felt a smirk curve his lips, and turned the volume up. Cullen-baiting never got old.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

Edward gritted his teeth. Just when he thought Jacob might have grown up, he went and shattered the illusion. He now remembered how hard it was to have a good opinion of the shape shifter- it was almost as if he wouldn't let him. Even before their lives crashed down around them, Jacob had been very careful to keep him irritated, even in the middle of doing something ridiculously selfless.

Edward pushed that unwelcome thought away from his mind and tried to weave through the static and get to the song. After a while, he surrendered the fantasy. Jacob had, with uncanny preciseness, stumbled upon a frequency that was just pure static. _How typical. _The noise was grating sharply on his nerves, made a thousand times worse by his preternatural hearing.

Jake shot him a look of pure mischief and challenge, and Edward all but growled. He crossed his arms, and prepared himself for the long haul. He would show that idiotic puppy that immortal always trumped over annoyance.

"Aren't you tired?" he asked, with a courteousness he was far from feeling. It worked, because Jacob looked startled.

"Nah. Not yet." Jake said, glancing out from his window. They had been driving for almost five hours straight, and dawn was breaking in the east.

Edward, at this point, was beyond tired of his companion's mysterious tactics, which he preferred to keep in the dark. He already had found out that it was futile to try and pick up the shifter's thoughts- they were too complicated and well-guarded.

Then, without warning, Jacob pulled up in a parking lot just as Edward was about to relapse into his thoughtless state. The sign near the building read BLUE WATERS MOTEL in neon lettering, with the vacancy sign. Edward wasn't surprised. As far as he knew, this was the middle of nowhere. They were the only people to be seen, and other than their car, Edward only saw two motorbikes in an inconspicuous corner in the lot.

He looked at Jacob inquiringly, not really expecting answers. Much to his surprise, Jake shrugged. "Call it a night?"

He nodded.

They got out of the car, and the toll of the car chase and the long hours of driving showed on the shifter. Edward made a mental note to offer to drive the next time. Not that Jacob would agree, but it never hurt to try.

They walked inside, Edward scanning the area telepathically. There were less than five people in the motel, not counting the staff, and only two of them were awake, playing monopoly. Edward smiled slightly, imagining himself and Jake staying up playing board games.

Jake caught the smile. "What's so funny?"

He detected no animosity in the tone, just a hint of incredulity. Edward shrugged. "Nothing." He said, quickly.

Jake's lips twitched. "Weird." He commented.

"Right back at you."

Jake rolled his eyes, and strode over to the reception. A bleary-eyed teenager passed him a key, and he nodded curtly.

There were two beds in the room, and Edward was amused by the fact that Jake forgot that he didn't sleep. Before he could comment, Jake had collapsed on the one near the door.

"Keep watch." He commanded in a muffled voice. "Might as well use your whole not-sleeping thing."

Edward scowled. It was going to be a long day.

**A/N: This was originally meant to be Leah/Edward, but I really couldn't imagine Leah **_**not**_** killing Renesmee. **

**Thoughts?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three**

"You're kidding me."

"Nuh-uh." Jacob deadpanned. "Time to rock'n'roll."

Edward crossed his arms and glared. "No. Absolutely not."

"Whatever." Jacob got on the black motorbike and took the helmet in his hands. "If you're done being such a girl, it'd be great if you could, you know, hurry the fuck up."

Edward opened his mouth to protest, and realized that any form of argument with Black was beyond pointless. He'd _drilled_ the fact that he didn't do motorcycles to the damned shifter, yet this happened.

"Why?" Edward asked reasonably. "The car wasn't that bad."

Jake snorted. "Lesson number one when you're fugitives from badass vampires: no two trips must be made in the same vehicle. They can track us down before you can say death wish."

Edward admitted, reluctantly, that this sounded logical. He got on the other motorbike- the red one- and strapped his helmet on resignedly.

Jacob smirked. "That's what I thought."

Edward growled internally at him, and refused to answer.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

Typically, the journey became less about covering ground and more about outdoing each other as the two rivals raced at inhuman speeds through the roads.

Much to Jake's surprise, Cullen didn't drive like a ninety-year-old grandmother, as he'd originally suspected. On the contrary, Edward leaned forward so that he was almost flattened against the metal frame and accelerated until he became a blur of sheer speed. Jake found it an actual challenge keeping up.

Accordingly, he revved up, and concentrating intensely, he maneuvered the bike until the front wheel was completely in the air, and he was speeding along solely on one wheel. After the bike reached its full height, Jake tossed a triumphant grin at Edward, who had slowed down a bit. The vampire rolled his eyes, and mouthed "show-off".

Jake laughed, and lowered the bike back to the normal state, the rush of being just a tad reckless after a long period of constantly looking over his shoulder pumping adrenaline through his veins. Then, the instinctive weariness set in as he looked around.

He signaled at Edward to slow down.

They pulled over to the side of the road.

"Where'd you think we are, at a guess?"

Edward, instead of making a crack at incompetence, looked around and shrugged. "I'd say somewhere around South Dakota." Then, he shrugged again. "Can't be certain. I haven't been here in a while."

Jake nodded. "Then this is bad." He said without preamble. "Couple of miles from here, there's a motel, and the chick that owns it is with the Volturi. Plus, her sister has this weird power…it's some freaky shit." Jake didn't know exactly how freaky, and judging from the rumors, he wasn't sure he wanted to.

"Can't we avoid it?"

Jake shook his head tersely. "Part of the magic. Now that we're within a hundred-mile radius, it'll only get worse if we go around." He cursed himself for not being on lookout. He'd been so preoccupied with showing off that he hadn't even noticed the warning signs. That taught him to have fun.

"So what do you suggest?" Edward asked calmly.

"Take them by surprise." Jake could see no other option. "Walk straight in."

Edward looked at him sharply. He apparently decided that Jake's experience trumped his instincts, because he nodded.

Jake could only hope for the same.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

The motel wasn't much different from the one from the morning; the same dim lighting, the same rough layout, and even the receptionist slightly resembled the one from before.

Jake was buying none of it, judging from his tense shoulders. He walked straight up to the girl, and barked, "Where is she?"

The girl looked between the two of them. She looked no more than fifteen.

"I'll tell them," she said.

Edward entered her mind just as she thought, _they're here._

He waited warily. He didn't know what to expect. A figure to shimmer before him? Ophelia with dead, sunken eyes?

Much to his surprise, a door behind the desk opened and a middle-aged woman stepped out. She was wearing a tan business suit, and had crimson eyes that were focused on him directly.

"Edward," she said, and thought, _it's an honor to finally meet you. _

He jerked his head.

Her blood-red eyes turned to Jacob. "Black," she acknowledged.

"Howdy," Jake retaliated dryly.

"I am sure that you are aware of our request." She said, pleasantly. Her voice was chipped with a slight, untraceable accent. "Cullen to join us and the shifter's head on a stick."

Jake shook his head. "No deal, as usual."

She tsked. "Wrong choice, as usual," she countered, as if they were discussing the weather. "You, of course, are aware of the nature of my darling sister's powers."

"We're a bit sketchy on the fine details, but yeah, we've got the gist of it."

She nodded. "When you feel like surrendering, my name's Jenna." She stood up. "Gentlemen."

Just like that, she evaporated out of sight and a dense forest appeared around them. Edward started when a coiling viper hissed in his ear.

Jacob swore freely.

"Mind control," Edward commented. Despite himself, he was impressed. He'd never met a talent so complex.

"Yeah, it's a friggin' dance party," Jake bit back.

Edward ignored him. "She must be a newborn."

"The newest there is."

Both of them whipped around. Standing next to a gigantic tree was the best rendition of a nymph Edward had ever set eyes on, except that her eyes were blood-red, like her sister's.

He frowned as she spoke up in a sweet, lilting voice. "Boys," she sang. "You beautiful, beautiful boys. What _ever_ are you doing in a place like this?"

"You tell us," Jake said.

She laughed, a high-pitched, trilling sound that made Edward's hands clench. Jacob, in contrast, looked much more relaxed, almost at ease. "Oh, Jake," she fluttered her eyelashes. "You always were-"

But it was too late. In a move that Edward found hard to follow, Jake had her pinned against the bark of a tree, her hands above her.

"You tell us what your sick game is, and I might let you go." He growled in her ear.

She pouted prettily. "You could have asked nicely, you know. For guys as handsome as you, I would've told without the dramatics."

Edward snorted.

"Get to the good part." Jake commanded.

"Fine," she scowled. "The rules are simple: survive the night, and I let you go."

"How do we know that?" Jake pressed the arm held against her jugular.

"It's the only way it works." She snapped, dropping the sweet-young-thing façade.

Jake glanced at Edward, who nodded and checked her mind.

_You know it's the truth, leech._

Edward delved deeper, wading through memories of forests, and finally, snapped out of it.

"She's telling the truth."

Jake looked back at the creature. "Swell." He released his grip on her.

She vanished, her expression dark.

"She's not a vampire." Edward said, immediately. "Not completely, anyway."

Jacob looked at him, understanding dawning in his eyes. "Shit."

"What is it?"

"The Volturi raised a lot of weird creatures. Almost experimented with them." Jake clapped a hand to his forehead. "Now there are more hybrids out there than there ever was."

"Like…?"

Jake shrugged. "Witches. Dryads. You name it. It's like living in a bad Harry fucking Potter flick." He narrowed his eyes at the vampire. "How come you don't know any of this?"

"I was in stasis." Edward said, distractedly. "It's probably a nymph."

"What?"

"Like a powerful dryad," Edward explained impatiently. The memories were stirring back now, half-buried images of the oldest vampires describing them. "They're associated with places, like forests."

"We're not in a forest. "Jake pointed out. "We're in a motel."

Edward shook his head. "I don't think so. Not anymore. That other woman-"

"Jenna?"

"Yeah, her. I think she teleported us."

Jake raised his eyebrows. "Okay." He nodded, as if physically wrapping his head around it. "It sounds weird, but weird is what I have for breakfast. Fine. We're in an actual forest."

"Question is, what's next?"

**A/N: I'm having a ball with these two. Thoughts?**


End file.
